North Atlantic Right Whale Recovery Program

1
North Atlantic Right Whale Recovery Program
Gregory Silber Office of Protected Resources
National Marine Fisheries Service 5 April 2005
2
Right Whale Budget FY2005

• FY2005 Appropriation 12.5 million
• Reducing ship strikes (1/4 of the total)
• Aerial Surveys NEUS SEUS Mid-Atlantic
  sighting information relayed to mariners
• survey information http//www.nefsc.noaa.gov/r
  ead/protspp/RightWhale/ http//www.nefsc.noaa.go
  v/cgi-bin/rwhale.pl
• Mandatory Ship Reporting systems operation data
  analysis
• Ship Strike Strategy Implementation DEIS
  preparation
• Other analysis, passive acoustics, stranding
  response

3
Right Whale Budget - FY2005

• Reducing Entanglement (1/6 of total)
• Disentanglement program (CCS)
• ALWTRP DEIS, TRT meetings
• Grants program - fishing gear modification
  innovation buybacks, etc.
• State Programs (1/6 of total)
• MA, NY, VA, GA, FL, others - primarily surveys,
  but other activities as well
• Biology and Population Monitoring (1/6 of
  total)
• Sightings and photo-id data bases surveys
  analysis
• Critical habitat analysis Health studies
• Vessel Surveys
• Right Whale Grants Program
• Recovery, general Admin/overhead, Travel
  (1/6 of total)
• Implementation Teams Enforcement Salaries
• -- FY2006 President's Request 5.9 million --

4
FY2005 Project Funding

• NEIT Funding
• Funding projects discussed this morning
• e.g., Merchant Mariner training module outreach
  economic studies etc.
• Right Whale Competitive Grants Program
• FY03 http//www.nero.noaa.gov/whaletrp/
• FY04 attached
• FY05 continuation of year-two or multi-year
  studies no new funding in FY05
• Ship Strike Strategy Implementation
• Contract for preparation of DEIS Strategy
  Alternatives analysis

5
Report on ANPR Stakeholder Meetings

• -- http//www.nero.noaa.gov/shipstrike/ --
• NMFS prepared draft Ship Strike Reduction
  Strategy
• Strategy issued as an Advanced Notice of Proposed
  Rulemaking (ANPR), Fall 2004
• 5 public comment meetings held at 5 different
  locations along the Atlantic coast

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ANPR Stakeholder Meetings

• Comment period ended 15 November
• 11 meetings held with shipping industry
  representatives, ports, pilots, NGOs, other
  agencies, etc. at 11 different locations
• Several hundred participants
• Bruce Russell, JSA Environmental Services
  contracted to prepare summary reports Being
  finalized and will be posted

7
ANPR Stakeholder Meetings

• Key comments -
• Economic considerations
• Questions about validity of data on population
  size/mortality
• Use of speed restrictions as a measure
• Use of technology (including acoustics) as a
  measure
• Questions about triggers and durations for
  Dynamic Management Areas (DMA)

8
Status of Ship Strike Strategy

• Comments from three sources public comment
  meetings stakeholder meetings written comments
  on the ANPR
• Public comments on the ANPR are posted at
  http//www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/PR2/Conservation_and_R
  ecovery_Program/msr/ship_strike.htm
• Comments being considered and being used to
  develop Alternatives for DEIS
• Plans for preparation of a DEIS
• DEIS, possible proposed rule, expected by late
  summer/early fall
• Economic study is part of the DEIS analysis

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Other Activities

• Port Access Route Studies USCG public comment
  period open through mid-April
• Working with federal agencies, e.g., ESA Section
  7 consultations
• Considered emergency rulemaking
• Ongoing dialog with shipping industry,
  recreational boaters, etc. A role for the NEIT

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Recovery Plan -- Status

• Final draft provided for public comment
• Comment period ended 1 November 2004
• Comments have been incorporated into Final Plan
• Final Plan completed preparing FR notice
  announcing release of Final Plan
• FR notice nearly completed, will enter clearance